HollisterFreelance.com | Volunteers Get San Benito High School's Sober Grad Night Rolling

Volunteers Get San Benito High School's Sober Grad Night Rolling

Mar 1, 2006
By Danielle Smith

Hollister - Parents, educators and community leaders are already hard at work planning San Benito High School's Sober Grad Night 2006, but are hoping the community will support their efforts with volunteer power and donations between now and June.

"I wish I had a T-shirt that said, 'Ask Me About Sober Grad Night,'" said event co-chair Marci Huston. "My goal right now is to get everybody fired up, both the kids and the community."

Sober Grad Night is an SBHS tradition dating back more than 10 years. It was designed to keep kids off the road on a night when many teens may be drinking and driving, and clear of house parties where alcohol may be served - encouraging them instead to celebrate in a safe environment with the people they've spent the last four years of their life with.

"I would encourage my own kids to go," said California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Armstrong, who's also helping organize the event. "I'd much rather see them having fun at a place like this than send them somewhere where no one knows what's going on."

Graduates are admitted into the event from 8-11pm, after passing a breathalyzer test administered by a CHP officer. After 11pm, grads stay at the event until 4am unless parents call in giving permission for their child to leave. Food and beverages are provided all night long, as well as a myriad of amusements including casino games, raffles, inflatable obstacle courses, karaoke and dancing.

"We've been getting the kids involved as much as we can this year, we really want them to have a part in planning this whole thing," Huston said. "It's like 'Do you want a bunch of 40-year old adults planning your party? No! So come on and help.'"

Schools all over the country provide similar programs for their graduating seniors, but SBHS offers one of the few events that don't require an admission fee. As a result, the event is largely dependent on the generosity of the community in addition to organizers' own fundraising efforts - each year Sober Grad Night costs between $15,000 and $18,000 to put on.

So far, the Grad Night Committee has raised about $2,000 from flower sales and is planning another flower sale for Easter, in addition to more traditional fundraisers such as car washes and bake sales. But they are hoping the community will be able to foot most of the bill through volunteer work, cash and in-kind donations.

"Right now we're all about awareness," Huston said. "Historically, no one knows about Grad Night or remembers that we do this until the end of the year, so we hope that by starting early not only can we entice more kids to come, we can get that much more support from the community."

Enticing kids to come is a priority for the Grad Night Committee. Typically, between 150 to 200 students attend Grad Night out of approximately 600 students graduating. Though the students who do attend enjoy the event, it's the remaining 400 that the committee is worried about.

"If you don't want your kids to go, at least promote something at your own house that will be safe," Armstrong said. "Unfortunately you get a bunch of 17- and 18-year-old kids who suddenly think they can do whatever they want once they graduate, and it's not safe for anyone."

Student representatives are quick to point out, however, that while they appreciate the efforts of the Grad Night Committee, it simply isn't for everyone. But that doesn't mean the students who choose not to attend are indulging in dangerous behavior.

"Among my friends, deciding whether or not to go has been kind of a hot topic - it's a school-sponsored activity, and by the time they graduate students are pretty ready to be done with the school," said Stephanie James, graduating senior and ASB spokesperson. "And while a percentage of the student body probably will be getting wasted that night, I think most of the kids who don't go are celebrating with their families or spending time with friends, and that's cool."

"There's no good reason for these kids not to go," Huston said. "It's a big party just for them to celebrate all their accomplishments... There's a stigma around Grad Night, but we're working with the kids, we're making it cool to go."

Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or dsmith@freelancenews.com

Danielle Smith